Arts of Indus Valley Civilization

Ancient and Medival History Pre Mauryan Period

-Indus Valley art emerged during the second half of the third millennium BCE (i.e. from 2500 BC onwards).

-Two major sites of Indus Valley civilization, along the river Indus are: North – cities of Harappa; South – Mohenjo-Daro.

-While Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro are situated in Pakistan, the important sites excavated in India are:

Lothal, Surkotada, Dholavira – Gujarat
Rakhigarh and Banwali – Haryana
Ropar – Punjab
Kalibangan and Balatha – Rajasthan

-The forms of art found from various sites of civilisation include sculptures, seals, pottery, gold ornaments, terracotta figures, etc.

SCULPTURE

The Indus Valley Civilization is probably best-known in the West for its bronze figurative sculpture – notably the famous slender-limbed statue known as the “Dancing Girl of Mohenjo-Daro” (2500 BCE) – the extraordinary quality of which is comparable with Late Classical Greek Sculpture (c.400-323 BCE) and Hellenistic Greek Sculpture (c.323-27 BCE). No one has yet established how Indus sculptors managed to anticipate forms associated with Greek sculpture of classical antiquity.

In addition to bronzes, Indus culture produced a variety of stone sculpture and also red coloured terracotta sculpture, featuring images of dancing girls as well as animals like cows, bears, monkeys, and dogs, plus a number of unidentified hybrid animals and anthropomorphic figures, seen mostly on Harappan steatite seals.

Harrapan Art and Craft

Indus Valley culture is also known for its decorative crafts, especially its jewellery art, featuring a range of beautiful glazed faience beads, necklaces, bangles, combs (kakai), and other ornaments and toiletry items.

Bronze casting

The bronze statues found in Harappa were made by the technique called Lost Wax technique.
First, wax figures were made and then covered with clay. The clay as allowed to dry and then the figure was heated to melt the wax. This wax was drained out through a hole in the clay. After that, the hollow clay was filled with the metal of choice. After cooling the metal, the clay was removed revealing the desired metal figurine.
Both animal and human figures were made this way.
Examples of bronze figures: Dancing Girl, Buffalo with uplifted head.

Terracotta

Terracotta images were also created but they were less refined as compared to the stone statues.
Most important terracotta images are those of the mother goddess.
Male figures are also found with similar features and positioning in all the figures indicating perhaps the image of a god.
Terracotta toys have also been found (wheels, whistles, rattles, gamesmen, discs, birds and animals).

Seals

Thousands of seals were discovered from the sites, usually made of steatite, and occasionally of agate, chert, copper, faience and terracotta, with beautiful figures of animals such as unicorn bull, rhinoceros, tiger, elephant, bison, goat, buffalo, etc.
The purpose was mainly commercial.
They were also used as amulets, carried on the persons of their owners, perhaps as modern identity cards.

Pottery

A lot of pottery has been excavated.
Plain and painted pottery are found – plain is more common.
Plain pottery: generally made of red clay, with or without a fine red or grey slip.
Black painted pottery: has a fine coating of red slip with painted geometric and animal designs.

Beads,Ornaments and Cosmetics

he Harappan men and women decorated themselves with a large variety of ornaments produced from every conceivable materials ranging from precious metals and gemstones to bone and baked clay.
White necklaces, fillets, armlets and finger rings were commonly worn by both sexes.
Jewellery found at Mohenjo-Daro and Lothal include necklaces of gold and semiprecious metal stones, copper bracelets and beads, gold earrings and head ornaments.
A cemetery has been found at Farmona in Harappa where dead bodies were buried with ornaments.
Well developed bead industries were present at Chauhudaro and Lothal.
Some beads were made of two or more stones cemented together.
Also made models of animals, especially monkeys and squirrels, used as pin head and beads.
Spinning of cotton and wool was very common (both rich and poor practiced spinning).
Men and women wore two separate pieces of attire similar to dhoti and shawl.
Shawl covered the left shoulder passing below right arm.
They were conscious of fashion.
Different hair styles were in vogue and beard was popular.
Cinnabar was used as a cosmetic and face-paint, lipstick and collyrium (eyeliner) were also known to them.